$8.00 perscription glasses

I keep hearing about these $8.00 prescription glasses. I looked briefly at their site today and I might try them when I get my eyes checked. I am a year or two over due for an appointment. Here is the site so you can see for yourself.
http://zennioptical.com/cart/home.php?cat=20

Kitchen tip Tuesday on Monday LOL

Easy,easy stuffed jalapenos. Wearing plastic gloves cut the top off of the jalapeno. Cut the pepper in half lengthwise. Scrape out all the seeds. When you get them all cleaned have someone else wash them. Every time I do this I start to cough. Isn't that silly? OK, now put some cream cheese in the empty pepper and wrap a half slice of bacon around it and secure it with a toothpick. Place in a pan. Bake at 350 until its done.

Tuna Chowder

My sister Carol asked for my recipe for tuna chowder. I use the one from the Tightwad Gazette. Here it is.

The Tightwad Gazette.

Tuna Cheddar Chowder
2 carrots, shredded
1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken broth2 cups milk
1 6 1/2 oz can of tuna fish, drained and flaked
1/2 teaspoon celery seed (I often leave this out)
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 t salt
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
In a large saucepan, saute the carrots and onions in the butter until onion is transparent. Mix in the flour. Add the chicken broth and milk. Heat and stir constantly until thick and bubbling. Add the tuna, celery seed, Worcestershire sauce, and salt. Heat through. Add the cheese and stir until it melts. Serves four.

Homemade Tortillas

The girls and I made homemade tortillas this evening for tomorrows menu. That way we can put the rice on to cook in the am and when we get home from church, dinner will be ready. The recipe is from Hillbilly housewife. We didn't have any baking powder so we made them with out it. I read somewhere that as you take the tortillas off the stove to place them into a plastic bag to cool and they will be more pliable, so that's what we do. Its good for the girls to help with preparations to learn to think ahead.

Printable coupon

I love it when I come across a coupon that can be printed as many times as you want and even saved to your computer. Yippee.
Here is a link to a coupon for Healthy Choice Fresh Mixers. $1.00 off, its good until 01/31/09 I am excited to see how much they cost before the coupon. If anyone finds out please let me know.

http://capps.zt03.net/custapps/allyou_coupon/HCFM_Coupon.pdf

Menu Planning

I finally got back into menu planning. I know it saves huge on groceries. I got the rest of this month and most of November planned. Its so great knowing what to fix and sticking to the plan unless something comes up. It helps me to prepare too. Such as soaking beans and such. I don't plan breakfasts, or lunches, there are certain things we eat then, its the evening and weekend meals that get me stumped. Here are the next two weeks of my plan.

Saturday eve- tuna melts on homemade bread

Sunday noon-pinto beans and rice with homemade tortillas
eve-Salisbury steak

Monday eve- tuna chowder

Tuesday eve- Baked potatoes with cheesy broccoli topping

Wednesday eve- Sloppy Joe's on homemade bread

Thursday eve- Omelets and toast

Friday eve- Spaghetti

Saturday noon- lentil, rice and hamburger burgers
eve-hash with lentils, rice, hamburger and potatoes

Sunday noon- Mexican meatballs
eve-chicken pot pie

Monday eve- salmon patties

Tuesday eve- sweet & sour chicken over rice

Wednesday eve-bread sticks and pizza sauce

Thursday eve- Meatloaf

Friday eve- grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup

Saturday noon-
eve-country pie

Sunday noon-
eve-hamburger, potato casserole

Monday eve-Potato, salmon Au gratin

Tuesday eve-porcupine meatballs

Wednesday eve- kielbasa, beans and cornbread

Thursday eve-lentil, rice casserole

Friday eve- meatball soup

That is three weeks instead of two and I see a couple of gaps. I'll figure out something or make leftovers.
Another thing I am doing is this. I have a large plastic container with a lid in the freezer. Its labeled soup pot. Anything left over that would make good soup goes into it and when its kinda full, I will take it out and make soup. Free food.

Friday

Visit Barbara mom of 12's site and watch the video by the black man who is going to vote for McCain. Its great. If I could figure out how I would post it on my blog.

The Lockwood Missionaries

I read a blog of a missionary family from Mexico named the Lockwoods. I read this on their blog and thought I would post it on my blog.
We always do the shoeboxes for kids, but it would be fun to send it to someone you kinda actually know.
Here is the info.

Christmas Boxes!
Many of you have written us at some time or another wanting to know if you could help our family and the ministry here as we share the gospel.
This Christmas, we would like to reach out to the families of our town by giving their children a shoebox full of special treats. We will include a gospel tract and portion of God’s Word with each box. Our hope is that these gifts will not only bring happiness to each one that receives them, but that they will give us an opportunity to share with them where true joy come from...knowing the Savior Jesus Christ!
We did this a couple of years ago and it was a tremendous blessing to the people as we gave out over 240 boxes. We would love to be able to hand out 200 boxes this year as well.
I remember, as a child, putting together a shoebox to send to children for Christmas in another country as it was a ministry through our local church. What fun we all had saving our pennies and then (with some help from dad and mom) going to the store to pick out the perfect treats. We always prayed for the child who would be receiving our box, and only eternity will tell how those small gifts may have been used to soften a child’s heart towards Christ.So this year, we would like to do this for the children of our town.
We will pass out whatever boxes we receive and the more the better! And we would love to have your help! If this is something in which you would like to have a part, here are some guidelines:

*Boxes should be shoebox size (you could either send a real shoebox or send a plastic container with a lid that is approximately the same size; the advantage of the plastic container is that the child/family can use it for something later)*
Boxes should be sent to Daniel and Jaynee Lockwood at the field address on the bottom right side bar of this blog; please write “Christmas Shoebox” on the box somewhere as well*
We would like to have all the boxes ready to give out by the beginning of December. Since it takes at least 2 weeks for mail to arrive here, we ask that all boxes be mailed no later than November 15th.*
To make it easier in the distribution, we ask that the boxes contain items that can be used by either a boy or a girl (for example, no pink hair ribbons as a boy would not use those :) )
.Now for the fun part!
Ideas of what to include in the boxes:*
Toys: a small stuffed animal, a ball, a yo-yo, whistle, picture book, a puzzle, a game, play dough, coloring book*
School Supplies: pencils, pencil box, crayons, felt markers, stickers, notebook, erasers, pencil sharpener*
Other: American Candy, scarf, a personal letter*
or picture drawn for the child, comb or brush, toothbrushHere are things to NOT include:
*Chocolate or any other food that could melt, make a mess or spoil*
Medicine*
items that could easily break*
Books or music (other than a note book or coloring book)*
Anything liquid that could spill (bubbles, shampoo, ect...)*
Anything that could be dangerous for a small child (marbles, sharp items ect...)*
Clothing other than maybe a scarf or hat as you don’t know what size the child is that will receive your box
If you have any further questions, feel free to email us Of course, we plan on taking lots of pictures of the children opening their boxes and will post some on the blog.
Wouldn’t it be fun to see a picture of a child opening the box that YOU sent? :
)*Spanish phrases that you could include in a personal note if you would like:
Dios le bendiga– God Bless you
Jesus te ama– Jesus loves you
Feliz Navidad– Merry Christmas
Dios te ama– God love you
Estoy orando por ti– I am praying for you
Con amor de - With love from
Contact Information
Field Address:
APDO #8
Col. Centro
Cd. Insurgentes,
BCSCP- 23700 MEXICO
Home Phone:To dial from the United States:011-52-613-131-1359
http://www.lockwoodsministry.com/lockwoods2mexico@juno.com

Their blog is listed on my right sidebar if you would like to visit their site.
Pray for their ministry and for them as they are in the path of a hurricane right now.

Correction

I just reread my bread in a jar recipe and found a mistake.
It says 1 Tbsp oil and it should read 3 Tbsp oil.
I have fixed it on the recipe but if you have printed it out or used it it will work much better with 3Tbsp oil. I hope nobody got bad bread because of me.

Thursday

We have been so busy. Tuesday the Bible school choir tour was in town. We fixed lunch for them the day they came, then supper after the concert.
The kids and adults were farmed out to families and to spend the night. We had two very nice girls. Lyndzi and Kathren. We only stayed up until 11:00 pm talking.
The next morning we took them back to the church where they had made breakfast for them. This was the first year in a while that I actually got to see the concert.
I always had kids spend the night but had to go somewhere else during their concert. I really enjoyed it. These kids go to the free Bible College I have listed in my right sidebar.
There were 30 people on the bus this year. They have a great tour planned. They are going to the Grand Canyon and then to California and Wyoming I think. What fun.

art

I love Norman Rockwell. A good friend of mine gave me a coffee table book of his art for high school graduation. I still have it. I always wished I had written to him to tell him how much I like his art while he was still alive.

Seven Marks of False Teachers

Thomas Brooks (1608-1680) (Puritan writer)

The first character: False teachers are menpleasers. They preach more to please the ear than to profit the heart: “Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits” (Isa 30:10). “A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?” (Jer 5:30-31). They handle holy things with wit and dalliance(63) rather than with fear and reverence. False teachers are soul-undoers. They are like evil chirurgeons(64) that skin over the wound, but never heal it…False teachers are hell’s greatest enrichers…Such smooth teachers are sweet soul-poisoners (Jer 23:16-17).63 dalliance – light, irreverent action.64 chirurgeons – surgeons.

The second character: False teachers are notable in casting dirt, scorn, and reproach upon the persons, names, and credits of Christ’s most faithful ambassadors. Thus, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram charged Moses and Aaron that they took too much upon them, seeing all the congregation was holy (Num 16:3). “You take too much state, too much power, toomuch honor, too much holiness upon you; for what are you more than others that you take so much upon you?” And so Ahab’s false prophets fell foul on good Micaiah, paying of him with blows for want of better reasons (1Ki 22:10-26). Yea, Paul, that great Apostle of the Gentiles, had his ministry undermined and his reputation blasted by false teachers: “For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible” (2Co 10:10). They rather contemn him than admire him. They look upon him as a dunce ratherthan a doctor. And the same hard measure had our Lord Jesus from the Scribes and Pharisees, who labored as for life to build their own credit upon the ruins of His reputation. And never did the devil drive a more full trade this way than he does in these days (Mat 27:63). Oh! The dirt, the filth, the scorn that is thrown upon those of whom the world is not worthy…

The third character: False teachers are venters(65) of the devices and visions of their own heads and hearts. “Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart” (Jer 14:14). “Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of theLORD” (Jer 23:16). Are there not multitudes in this nation whose visions are but golden delusions, lying vanities, brainsick fantasies? These are Satan’s great benefactors and such as divine justice will hang up in hell as the greatest malefactors, if the Physician of souls does not prevent it.65 venters – those who utter or give vent to erroneous doctrines.

The fourth character: False teachers easily pass over the great and weighty things of both Law and Gospel and stand most upon those things that are of the least moment and concernment to the souls of men. “Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling; Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neitherwhat they say, nor whereof they affirm” (1Ti 1:5-7). “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone” (Mat 23:23). False teachers are nice(66) in the lesser things of the law and as negligent in the greater. “If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesomewords, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself” (1Tim.6:3-5)…The earth groans to bear them, and hell is fitted for them (Mat 24:32).66 nice – precise.

The fifth character: False teachers cover and color their dangerous principles and soul-impostures with very fair speeches and plausible pretences, with high notions and golden expressions. Many in these days are bewitched and deceived by the magnificent words, lofty strains, and stately terms of deceivers, viz., illumination, revelation, deification, fiery triplicity(67), etc. As strumpets paint their faces and deck and perfume their beds, the better to allure and deceive simple souls, so false teachers will put a great deal of paint and garnish upon their most dangerous principles and blasphemies that they may the better deceive and delude poor ignorant souls. They know sugared poison goes down sweetly. They wrap up their pernicious, soul-killing pills in gold. Weigh the Scriptures in the margin…67 triplicity – one of four groups of the zodiac where each group consists of three signs separated from each other by 120 degrees.

The sixth character: False teachers strive more to win over men to their opinions than to better them in their conversations. “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves” (Mat 24:17). They busy themselves most about men’s heads. Their work is not to better men’s hearts and mend their lives. In this, they are very much like their father the devil, who will spare no pains to gain proselytes.

The seventh character: False teachers make merchandise of their followers: “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and theirdamnation slumbereth not” (2Pe 2:1-3). They eye your goods more than your good and mind more the serving of themselves than the saving of your souls. So they may have your substance, they care not though Satan has your souls (Rev 18:11-13). That they may the better pick your purse, they will hold forth such principles as are very indulgent to the flesh. False teachers are the great worshippers of the golden calf (Jer 6:13). Now, by these characters you may know them, and so shun them, and deliver your souls out of their dangerous snares; which that you may, my prayers shall meet yours at the throne of grace.From “Precious Remedies against Satan’s Devices” in The Complete Works of Thomas Brooks, Vol. 1, reprinted by The Banner of Truth Trust._____________________

Thomas Brooks (1608-1680): Congregational preacher and author; buried in Bunhill Fields, London, UK.

Halloween

How do you feel about Halloween? The older I get the less I like it. Everywhere, scary images. No more innocence.

Deu 18:9 When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.
Deu 18:10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,
Deu 18:11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
Deu 18:12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.
Deu 18:13 Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God.
Deu 18:14 For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the LORD thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.

Wheat bread mix in a jar (for bread machine)

I found the recipe for wheat bread mix in a jar at Jen's site. She has since closed her site so I am posting a similar recipe for bread mix in a jar for you all. I usually make up 5 or 6 of these and store them in the freezer to easily make bread. I have the machine do the mixing and then after it has risen once, I knead it about five or six times and shape it into a loaf and let rise and bake in the oven. I find that letting it rise twice gives it better texture.
Here is the recipe.

This excellent mix recipe will save you time and money.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
3 cups flour (I use 1c. whole wheat and 2c. white flour)(If you use whole wheat you will want to add 2tsp. vital wheat gluten)
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. nonfat dry milk powder
1-1/2 tsp. salt
2-1/2 tsp. active dry yeast

Preparation:In large bowl, mix flour, sugar, dry milk and salt until combined. I just use a canning funnel and put it right into the jar. Place inside a one quart jar with screw top lid. Put yeast in a very small ziplock plastic bag and place over flour mixture in jar before adding lid. Label and store in a cool place.

1-1/4 cups warm water (I use warm milk or kefir)
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

When ready to bake bread, place warm water (I use warm milk or kefir) and vegetable oil into the bottom of the bread pan of your bread maker. Place dry ingredients from jar on top of wet ingredients, reserving yeast for last or follow directions of your bread maker manufacturer. Select White - Light Crust Color. Remove bread from pan after baking cycle and cool on wire rack for 1 hour before slicing. As I stated earlier I just use the dough cycle and then shape and let rise and bake in the oven.

More savings

Be sure to visit http://www.moneysavingmom.com/ She has new links for new Muir Glen coupons. Also other savings.